Adulthood should begin much later than 18

I’ve often wondered whether the way we treat people at different ages makes any sense scientifically.

- Melvin Durai

In many countries, you become an adult at age 18. That’s when you can vote, sign your name to a legally binding contract, and declare your independence from your parents (while continuing to live in their home).

If you commit a serious crime at age 18, you will be put on trial as an adult, facing a lengthy prison sentence. Commit the same crime at age 17 and you may be treated as a juvenile and given a lighter punishment, a reward from the justice system for not waiting a year to misbehave.

Is there really a big difference between a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old? I don’t think so. Of course, you have to draw the line between adolescence and adulthood somewhere. But why not make it 32? After all, 32 is the age when many people get serious about finding a marriage partner and potentially moving out of their parents’ homes.